Eighth
by Ford.Ye.Fiji
Summary: "Hey now, look at me. I'm not afraid... I-" his voice gained confidence, "You don't need to fear." "Why?" "Because... I've got you. Because- because I am here!"


Shimura Nana laughed, her smile wide and strong. She effortlessly ducked the fist swung at her and, drawing back her arm, threw the full force of One For All into her hit. With a cry, the villain flew backwards, his head smacking against the concrete. Nana brushed off her hands, a confident and joyful tilt to her lips as the police moved in to take him away.

The small girl with black braids looked up, her only injury from the battle was a scraped knee. She gave a watery grin to the dark-haired heroine, "Thank you!"

Nana smiled, "Of course."

She looked around for a moment, quickly surveying the collapsed building regretfully. She hadn't arrived quite fast enough, just in time to see the cloud of dust as it had collapsed. The only small mercy about the incident was that it had been set to be demolished later that week. Nana had touched down to the asphalt just in time to see three or four villains crawl out of the still partially standing wreckage with a crying little girl in their arms. While the recovery crews had begun working, she'd drawn away the four and saved the girl.

She knelt down beside the girl, who blinked with frightened yellow cat's eyes, "Do you know how many people were inside?"

The girl's lips trembled, "No..." She sniffed wiping her eyes, "They've been taking us for weeks. A lot of us were disappearing but... But no one cared."

Nana blinked. She'd known the men were attempting to kidnap this sweet little girl, but now it sounded larger and far more sinister, "Who'd they take, sweetheart?" It hurt to think of uncaring people discarding children to the worst of fates, "I care."

The girl wrung her hands, "We're from the orphanage. They always come at night and take away my friends. They take a lot... But this time-!" She sobbed suddenly, "This time they took me! And Toshi- Toshi wouldn't let them! I know he'd been planning to wait- so that he could sneak around and not get hurt, but they took me and he got mad and so they took him too!"

"Is Toshi in there?"

She nodded, "In the basement... I- I think. He'd know how many! He's always got a plan! And- and he always makes sure no ones bothering us younger kids!" She smiled through her tears, "Like you!"

Nana brushed the girl's hair with a gloved hand, "I'll take care of Toshi, don't you worry." She turned, spying a familiar hero arriving on the scene. She waved as he rushed over, "_Nana_-!"

"Take care of her, alright? I've got some kids to see in that building."

"Nana!"

She smiled blindingly bright, "Don't be a worrywart, Gran Torino." With those words, she flew off, the purple flash of One for All propelling her onwards.

The rescue crew halted their efforts of clearing away the rubble when she told them that children were trapped inside. The building was becoming increasingly unstable and they didn't want it to come down even more on them.

The woman in charge, Bedrock, could manipulate portions of the building- those that had large quantities of rock in it- to keep them semi-stable. She could also sense living things that she'd encountered before if they were standing on the rock. It was a very handy quirk, especially for rescue operations like this.

Shimura coordinated with her about the basement. Bedrock frowned, scratching her brown hair, tied back into a messy bun, "I think I could keep the basement from collapsing, but from what I can sense through the formations, it's awfully large. I won't be able to stabilize it very long."

Shimura nodded, "If I take a radio, I could narrow down where the trapped kids are, and you could focus on that area."

Bedrock grinned, "Good idea! Pretty sure my partner Jigsaw will be able to help too, what with his wood-manipulation abilities."

Shimura grinned, giving her a thumbs up, "Great!"

Bedrock nodded to a narrow opening in the rubble, "That should take you further in. Good luck, Seven-Strong."

Shimura waved, making her way over to the hole, and, with one last glance around at the blue sky, she disappeared into the dusty darkness.

She tapped the headpiece she'd received cautiously, "Hello?"

A male voice echoed in her ear, "_Seven-Strong, this is Jigsaw, reading you loud and clear. The police just arrived with the floor plans. The basement entrance should be twenty feet to your left._"

Nana grinned, "Great."

She ducked under a steel beam, shafts of light penetrating even the darkest recesses of the mess. Nana got down on her knees to get under a block of concrete balanced precariously on some rubble, freezing up when she accidentally nudged it. The whole delicate balance groaned ominously.

"_What was that?_"

She hardly dared breathe as she saw it teeter slightly, "Nothing Jigsaw, just getting a little precarious in here. Give me a second."

It stilled, ever so slowly and she finally crawled out from under it, eyes lighting up when she saw a door. She stopped, realizing there was a dark pit before her, pieces of rebar jutting out of smashed concrete. Just across from the pit was a metal door. The basement.

Nana edged around the hole, the darkness where the floor should've been yawning ominously. She reached the door to the basement and turned the knob. It wouldn't open, and Nana huffed, "Jigsaw?"

"_Yeah?_"

"I'm by the door, but something is wrong. I don't want to kick it open and accidentally trigger more collapse."

"_Wait a minute._" She heard dim shouts and then Bedrock was speaking through the earpiece, "_Seven-Strong, I can sense you. Are you facing the door?"_

"Yup."

It was quiet before the pro-hero responded, "_The whole hallway has collapsed I think. The stairs down into the basement are probably completely blocked._"

Nana sighed, "Thanks." She eyed the hole behind her, "I think I've got an idea, hang on."

She shuffled over, peering into the darkness, trying to let her eyes adjust to the empty gloom. To her surprise, someone called carefully out of the black, "Hello? Is someone up there?"

Nana grinned, answering softly, something about that voice pulling at her, "A pro-hero is here to help! Are you alright down there?"

Whispers and then, "We can't get out, the stairs are blocked. Are you thinking of jumping down?"

Nana liked this kid, "Yeah, but I don't know if the ground is stable down there or not. Can you kids tell?"

The same voice floated back to her, "We've got someone with a light quirk down here. But he's little. Wait a minute and I'll be back."

"Hey, kid!"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful, okay?"

She could almost see the smile in his voice, "Of course."

She could hear him walking away and then, faintly, two sets of footsteps coming back. The boy was murmuring to an obviously weeping child, "Hey, we're gonna get out of here in no time, don't cry."

More sniffling.

"There's a hero here, and she's really nice. We just need your help to get out."

"M- my help?" The kid was very young, voice too under developed to tell if they were a boy or a girl. Nana felt something very angry, to know that those villains had been smuggling children right under her nose.

"Yeah! So you gotta be brave for just a little longer, can you do that?"

The boy was losing the child, she could tell as they hiccuped fearfully, "I don't think so! I'm not- not very brave, Toshi. I'm scared!"

Ah. The boy named Toshi.

"Hey now, look at me. I'm not afraid... I-" his voice gained confidence, "You don't need to fear."

"Why?"

"Because... I've got you. Because- because I am here!"

Nana couldn't help but feel a swell of admiration. The boy was good. The small kid whimpered, but a golden glow grew steadily beneath the hole. Nana's pupils shrunk against the light until she was finally able to see below her.

A small boy, no more than three or four with brightly glowing hair and tear streaked cheeks peered upwards. Next to him holding his hand was a teenager, possibly thirteen or fourteen with an explosion of yellow hair. Toshi. That feeling in her chest tightened like a cord pulled taut. His bright blue eyes danced in the light, a strained determined smile on his face. The white button up he was wearing had a sleeve missing, parts of it torn away. There were dark stains on his black pants, splatters of what was most definitely blood. Was he hurt?

She shook her head and concentrated on the ground below. The rubble underneath looked stable, only a few pieces of rebar pointing upwards. She located a flat slab before giving them a thumbs up, "Okay, kids, back up."

They did and she clambered down, using the bent rebar beside her to lower herself closer to the ground before she jumped. She landed with a thump, only a few rocks skittering away with her landing. The light was dim and cast yellow murky shadows across the basement.

The small boy looked elated, but also still frightened.

Shimura put her hand on the older boy's shoulder, "Toshi, was it?"

He turned red, nodding as she continued, "How many of you are down here?"

Toshi nodded, running a hand through his sweaty dirty bangs, a few pebbles scattering across the floor as he did so, "Well, there's me, and Hinata." He nodded at the kid whose hand he held, "He obviously has a simple glow quirk, but he can't use it too well yet, he just manifested it a few months ago." Toshi looked up, suddenly alarmed, "Did Sara get out okay? They had already taken her out with them, when the building collapsed."

"She's safe and rather concerned about the rest of you." Nana tilted her head, "How _did_ the building collapse, anyway?"

Toshi shuffled, "Well. Touma got scared. He's ten and he's already got this powerful earthquake quirk. I think he can control vibrations? I don't know, but he accidentally caused the building to, well, break." He shook his head, "but other than those three, there's another six kids down here. Akari is six- she can float above the ground a few inches, Himari has butterfly wings and she's twelve, Yuuto has extra sharp teeth and a powerful overbite, he's seven." Shimura recalled one of the villains missing a finger.

These kids really were something. Toshi continued with the last three, eagerly handing over all the pertinent information he'd collected, "Ichika has a third arm and she's sixteen, Reo can turn into a mouse but only once a day and he used that up already. He's six too, and then Sora hasn't manifested a quirk yet. He's only three."

Shimura blinked, a wide grin spreading across her face, an undefinable feeling of turmoil and utter certainty again as she spoke, "Toshi, you've been amazingly helpful." He turned red, stuttering. She asked, "What's your quirk?"

The proud look turned sour and he drooped, sunny disposition deflating, "Um. I'm quirkless."

Toshi was utterly remarkable. Shimura opened her mouth, but Jigsaw's voice in her ear interrupted, "_Bedrock is reaching her limit, Seven-Strong._"

She touched it, "Thanks. I've got the kids. Is there a way out? I don't want to send them back through the entrance. It's not stable."

"_Uh_," a shuffle of papers, "_Where are you?_"

"Behind the stairs."

"_The plans say that about ten feet behind you, there should be an old entrance into the sewer. It won't be pretty, but it'll get you out into the street._"

Nana turned, the glow still illuminating the room. Besides the pile of rubble under the hole in the ceiling, she could see a clear path to a maintenance door, "That's great, Jigsaw. It looks clear, we should be out in a few minutes."

She looked back at Toshi and the boy, "You've done great, kids. But I'm gonna need you to do just a little more."

Shimura carried the two youngest children on her hips, watching as Toshi and the other two oldest guided the rest behind her. They were all frightened, but her smile was reassuring and they'd calmed. To be honest, things probably wouldn't be going as smoothly as they were if Toshi hadn't been here.

She glanced back, watching that suddenly comforting starburst of yellow hair at the back of group. There was something magnetic about him, but she didn't have the time to figure it out yet. Toshi was guiding the other children and making sure there weren't any stragglers. He carried Hinata now, his hair lighting the way as Nana led the group into the wavering darkness. One of the children in her arms, Reo, cradled a broken arm. That's where Toshi's sleeve had gone, wrapped carefully around the discolored appendage and stained red. Reo had been the only one injured badly, and she felt that motherly protectiveness rise to the forefront again. The other child, Sora, hid his head in her hair.

These children hadn't been taken care of, of that she was certain. The way the injured boy didn't scream at all put her on edge especially. He was used to the pain and used to being punished for crying out. Considering these signs of abuse and the easy way the villains had gotten ahold of them, brought her to the conclusion that the orphanage probably supplied the children to the kidnappers. Nana would be taking care of them as soon as these kids were safe.

Nana paused before the maintenance door, "I'm going to put you two down, but I'll be right back, don't worry. I've just got to get this open." She gently placed them on the cement, the children huddling together as she pressed against the door. It was locked tight, but she grinned as a surge of One for All crackled against her skin. Luckily Hinata was still glowing and she found the lock easily, crushing it in her hands.

Toshi gaped with awe as she effortlessly shoved the door open with her shoulders, the heavy metal door creaking with protest as it was forced open. Nana smiled and picked up the children again, careful not to jostle the hurt little boy, "C'mon, we're almost out."

After they'd gone a ways into the sewers, Nana spoke into her earpiece, "Jigsaw, I've got the kids out. Tell Bedrock she can ease up."

"_Affirmative_."

There was a rumble and the ceiling rained dust. The children muttered, freezing up. Nana smiled, winking at Toshi when she said to comfort them, "Don't fear! We are here."

He blushed in the dim light.

Jigsaw started talking again, "_Take the first right you see, Seven-Strong and then to your left there should be a ladder. You'll be out then._"

"Thanks, Jigsaw. I've got nine scared kids down here, as well as one with a broken arm. Be ready for us to be up."

Jigsaw swore, "_Nine? God, these guys were monsters._"

Nana huffed with agreement, turning to pick up Reo and Sora again. Within a few more minutes they were at the ladder. She directed the oldest, the three armed girl- Ichika upwards first. The girl disappeared into the circle of light. Nana directed them to look after each other as they went up, and to go slowly. Next she sent Akari and Himari, the quaking boy Touma, Hinata, and Yuuto.

Finally it was just her, Toshi, the injured child, and the youngest in the dark.

"I think I can carry Sora, at least."

Nana shook her head, unable to see anything but a silhouette vaguely reminiscent of a sunflower, "Are you sure?"

She could hear the earnestness in his voice, "I'm sure."

She handed him Sero who cried at the movement, but quieted again when he was put into the boy's arms. The child cooed happily, "Toshi!"

"Hey, silly. We're about to climb, so hold on!"

"Like a crab?"

"Exactly like a crab."

Nana smiled as they started up, the pull like a cord tying her to him. She shook off the feeling of something turbulent and awake churning in her gut, clutched Reo to her chest, and whispered to the wide eyed boy, "Alright, I'm going up now. We'll get your arm fixed soon."

She blinked as her eyes adjusted slowly to the sunlight, the paramedics taking Reo from her gently. She could see the children crowded by the emergency vehicles, the road blocked off and heroes dissuading any curious passerby. Gran Torino rushed over, worry furrowing his brows like always, "Nana! Are you alright? Why didn't you let me come with you?"

Nana laughed, "It turned out just fine. You worry too much."

He huffed but was interrupted by the very person she was searching for. One for All leapt ready and unbidden to the surface, as if it was barely contained, straining against her control.

He looked so much younger in the sun. Toshi's eyes widened, "You're Seven-Strong!" He flushed, "I didn't recognize you!"

She frowned at the remains of his shirt flapping open to reveal bandages wrapped around his ribs, "You didn't tell me you were hurt."

He laughed, "They said it was only some bruised ribs." She hadn't noticed the black eye, or the bloody lip in the darkness and fading light either.

Gran Tornio grumbled, "Kid, shouldn't you be with the others?" He jerked his head toward the group of children huddled under soft blankets by the ambulances.

Nana ignored Torino and knelt, holding out a gloved hand, "I'm Shimura Nana, Toshi."

He gaped wonderingly before taking it, a wide unbelieving smile almost as bright as the sun greeting her, "Um, I'm Toshinori Yagi."

"You were really good in there." Her quirk _thrummed_.

He kicked his feet, "Thank you. I... I've always wanted to be a hero. Just like you and- and Red Riot and even Bedrock!" He rubbed his fingers together, "But I'm... Well, I'm quirkless." He laughed, closing his eyes and clasping his hands, "But I'm glad I could help today!"

_Oh._ That's what this tightness meant, this desperate energy begging to be unleashed. _To be passed on._

She'd found him.

Torino recognized the bright gleam in Nana's eyes, "Oh no. Shimura, think about this."

She gazed at the boy who uncomprehendingly stared back at the two, curiosity in his eyes- not knowing that his whole future was to be utterly and forever changed in a single moment, "Oh, I've thought about it, sourpuss." She glanced at Torino, "You said I needed to find a successor. I think I've found the one."

Toshinori blinked his blue eyes. Torino frowned at him.

Shimura stood, putting her hand on this quirkless hero's shoulder, because that was what he'd been today- a hero, her grin wide and inspiring. One for All warmed her hands eagerly, rolling like a tumultuous sea of pure power, waiting.

"Toshinori... Can you keep a secret?"


End file.
